Outcry after $1.15tn defense bill passes in the House – US politics live

Key events

Outcry over the $1.15tn defense policy bill passed in the House

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) typically passes in Congress each year with bipartisan margins. But the $1.15tn defense policy bill passed in a near-party-line vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday has lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in an uproar.

That’s because the NDAA’s path to enactment this year has been complicated by the president’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran without first seeking authorization from Congress – a war that has already cost $37.5bn, according to defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Last week, Senate Democrats blocked the advancement of that chamber’s version of the NDAA in protest of the war.

“While millions of Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities, Congress is choosing to authorize over $1tn for the Pentagon, once again funneling billions of taxpayer dollars to defense contractors instead of investing in the needs of working people,” Ilhan Omar, a Democratic representative from Minnesota, posted on X.

She continued: “The American people are sick and tired of funding atrocities abroad and want this war with Iran to end. Yet year after year, the Pentagon fails its audit with virtually no accountability, while Congress continues to increase military spending.”

Further complicating matters, Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker, acceded to the demands of rightwing lawmakers and inserted into the legislation the Save America Act, a Trump-backed proposal to ban mail-in ballots and impose new identification restrictions on voters at the polls and when they register. “This budget resolution is our best shot at enacting as much of the Save America Act into law as possible,” Johnson -posted on X.

“This means the NDAA is now tied to Trump’s attempt to steal elections by making it more difficult for millions of Americans to vote,” Jerry Nadler, a Democratic representative from New York, posted on X. “The NDAA is a costly, bad bill that funds an illegal war and undermines our democracy.”

Section 219 of the NDAA – which establishes the US-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative – also had Republican representatives protesting the bill’s passage. “Section 219 is a betrayal of our sovereignty,” Kentucky conservative Thomas Massie said on X. Far-right firebrand Lauren Boebert also said she sat out on the NDAA vote because of Section 219.

More to come.